"What it means to be alive" discussion on Thur. May 15th in Portland

On Thur. May 15 in Portland, the Center for Philosophical Naturalism is hosting a free discussion event on the topic of "what it means to be alive." All details for the event can be seen here: http://tinyurl.com/mgjy332 .

What makes you, you?B. Dehler

We will discuss a short passage from the book "The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten: 100 Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher," available from Amazon at this link: http://tinyurl.com/neoba6a . One of the thought experiments is "Experiment #65 "Soul Power." You can see the text for it online for free, here: http://tinyurl.com/pxp27ta .

The main point of this thought experiment is to imagine that reincarnation were true. You lived a previous life. But how is that "you" when you can't remember any of it? And if there's an objection just because we can't remember, what about other aspects of this life that we can't remember, such as our dreams? Do we cease living in our dreams, simply because we can't remember our dreams when we awaken? And how can you exist in a previous life if "you" we so different in so many ways, such as your sex (male or female). And what if you were an animal in a previous life? Obviously, there's lots to explore in the way of a group discussion, and a chance to share insights as we contemplate our existence.

Everyone seems to have an opinion, and some can be funny.

“If you're really a mean person you're going to come back as a fly and eat poop.” ~ Kurt Cobain (lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the grunge band Nirvana)

To learn more about The Center for Philosophical Naturalism, an organization devoted to help teach the naturalist worldview, click on our Facebook page here: http://tinyurl.com/pjnjfup . Our meetup event page can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/l6rd4sl . Our website is here: http://tinyurl.com/pbtcg5w .

If you are interested in other similar events; other Portland-area community, secular, and philosophical groups can also be found at meetup.com, such as these:
-- Westside Science & Religion Disc.: http://tinyurl.com/bkmhdl5
-- Sunday Assembly: http://tinyurl.com/kkc8nyw
-- Center for Inquiry: http://tinyurl.com/mps923r
-- Humanists of Greater Portland: http://tinyurl.com/kmbmt57
-- Atheists Etcetera: http://tinyurl.com/nhjr3ha
-- Philosophy Workshop: http://tinyurl.com/pzs4ajc
-- The Center for Philosophical Naturalism: http://tinyurl.com/l6rd4sl